The Tech Review is VNN’s weekly run-down of the tech companies having the biggest impact in sports, and our team’s picks for which platforms we see as the best choices for high school athletic departments across the country.
It is most high school athletes dream to play a sport in college. They spend years and years, hours and hours, working on their craft to hopefully one day be able to compete at the next level. The reality, however, is that very few high school athletes will actually make it to the next level. According to the NCAA, there are more than 8,000,000 high school athletes across the country, and only 495,000 end up competing at NCAA schools across D1, D2, and D3. In other words, if you’re playing high school sports, the numbers show you have about a 6% chance of playing in college. With that number being so low, student athletes around the country must find any advantage they can.
With technology playing a big role in sports at all levels, we were curious to look at companies who provide highlight tapes for players to send to schools. There are a bunch, so we narrowed down some of the big players.
With 10+ years in the business, RecruitReels brings an experienced staff with big sports backgrounds to help boys and girls live out their dream of playing college sports. They offer highlight tapes in 14 sports, with 5 different package options range from $399-$1,999. Their basic package provides some general highlights and athlete info, while their platinum package offers you highlights, a professional videographer, workout videos and much more. The consistent theme of professionalism, quick turn around time and customer service make them one of the top companies in this industry. Downside? Video quality is not up to the level as some of their competition.
Next College Student Athlete (NCSA)
More than just highlight footage, NCSA offers a complete package to help get players recruited. From highlight tapes to ACT and SAT prep courses (partnered with Kaplan Test Prep) this all in one services prepares future student athletes very effectively. Founded in 2000, NCSA has been in the space as long as anyone. With the motto “Bringing Process, Technology, and Passion to recruiting”, it’s easy to see why they’ve been successful.
What really separates NCSA is their relationships with colleges. They have more than 35,000 college coaches in their network from across all sports. This allows them to build relationships and properly put student athletes in touch with the right people.
The best quality video and easiest to use out of all our options, Hudl has lead the way in highlight tapes for high school athletes for a while. Easy to use and upload, plus some free options, makes this is another attractive option for athletes. The convenience of Hudl is second to none and eliminates the need for expensive equipment and allows you to film from any device that you already have.
More than 100,000 high school teams are currently Hudl and roughly 1.2 million athletes are on their platform.
OUR PICK: NCSA – This complete package, on top of high quality film, is the reason we love this company.
Honorable Mentions
A few other highlight reel options are on our radar too:
Prodigy Highlights – you send them game film, they make your highlight tape for you
Prospect Reels – cheap ($99) and solid quality
American Sports Memories – 5 different packages for any type of athlete
Want us to help you figure out which solution is the best for your school? We’re here, email us at connect@vnnsports.net